NEDBANK 

ART SUITE

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HERE, THERE & FORWARD

Zionists

George Pemba

1912 – 2001

Artwork Details

Artist          George Pemba 
Title            Zionists
Year            1974
Medium      Oil on board (45 x 60cm)

About the Artist

George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba (1912–2001) was a South African painter, illustrator, teacher and writer born at Hill’s Kraal, Korsten, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), later based in the Eastern Cape. He earned a teacher’s diploma at Lovedale Training College, studied watercolour at Fort Hare, received a bursary to work under Austin Winter Moore at Rhodes University, and attended classes in Maurice van Essche’s Cape Town studio. The University of Fort Hare awarded him an honorary MA in 1979, while Nelson Mandela University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1997. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Ikhamanga.

About this Artwork

Zionists reflects Pemba's longstanding interest in documenting the social, spiritual and cultural life of black South African communities. The painting depicts a gathering of worshippers engaged in prayer and religious ritual within a Zionist church setting, a subject that appears frequently in Pemba's work. Through the closely grouped figures, expressive gestures and intimate interior setting, Pemba conveys the sense of collective faith, devotion and belonging that characterises communal worship.